Steve Alexander

Basketball Daily Dose

Monday's Daily Dose

The Hawks and Nets play just one game this week, while the Pistons only go twice. Try to find alternatives if you play in a weekly lineup league. Waiver Wired should be viewed as a companion piece to this column, so make sure you check it out as well.

Editor's Note: Rotoworld's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $60,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Monday night's games. It's $25 to join and first prize is $8,500. Starts at 7pm ET on Monday. Here's the FanDuel link.

Crawford came off the bench on Friday and struggled with his shot. He will likely continue to come off the pine now that J.J. Redick is back for the Clippers, however, Crawford should continue to see all the minutes he can handle while playing both guard spots, so don’t’ be afraid to leave him in your lineup.

Anderson started again for the Sixers on Saturday against the Knicks after scoring 10 points on Friday, and had 17 points in a loss to New York. He’s coming on again and is a marginal fantasy play this week with three games.

Amare hit 8-of-10 shots for 21 points and five rebounds on Saturday. He’s played in 11 straight games, and I’m fine with taking a flier on him. However, given that games-played streak, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him miss one of his four this week.

Smith was back at it on Saturday, scoring 14 points with three 3-pointers, three rebounds, six assists and a steal in 27 minutes. Maybe this will be the game that finally gets him going, as he’s been about as fun to own as Danny Green for most of the season. If he was dropped in your league think about a grab-and-stash in case he’s finally ready to play basketball instead of footsie.

Ariza broke out of his funk on Saturday night with 23 points, 14 boards, five steals and two 3-pointers for the Wiz. It’s about time. He came into that one averaging just 8.3 points in January and owners have to hope that this game got him back on track. With four games this week he now looks like a strong start in weeklies. Kevin Seraphin also came out of nowhere to go nuts in that one, but I don’t trust him any farther than I can throw him.

Khris Middleton got the start on Saturday for the Bucks, replacing Luke Ridnour, while Caron Butler didn’t even play off the bench. Perhaps Middleton is about to get hot, while Butler should be on benches this week, or dropped. Middleton had eight points and eight boards on 3-of-14 shooting, meaning he’s truly a Buck. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, finally showing us what we’ve been waiting to see. However, whether or not he can do it again anytime soon remains to be seen. I think he’s a fine spot start in daily leagues, but I don’t have the guts to throw him into a weekly lineup. And the same can be said about any Milwaukee player not named Brandon Knight.

Cart-Mart made his Bulls debut on Saturday and had 11 points and a couple 3-pointers. Jimmy Butler was out, which forced Martin into action, but Snell has been pretty disappointing thus far. I doubt Martin is worth picking up in most leagues, but might be enough to warrant dropping Snell, who failed to score in 17 minutes. Mike Dunleavy is still relevant and had 18 points and a full stat line in this one.

Tolliver, who lost his starting job to Chris Douglas-Roberts and was dropped in most leagues, decided to go nuts on Saturday with 21 points and 8-of-9 shooting. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist due back this week, forget about Tolliver.

In addition to Quincy Miller going off for the Nuggets, Evan Fournier had 18 points in 22 minutes on Saturday, hitting 7-of-8 shots. I don’t trust him, but he should at least be on your radar.

OKC’s Jackson had just two points on 1-of-8 shooting Saturday and there are concerns about his fatigue now that he’s starting in place of Russell Westbrook. He’s still a decent fantasy play and should be better on most nights, but owners should weigh options carefully given his recent struggles.

Tucker had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three 3-pointers on Saturday and just missed a double-double on Friday. He’s still not a must-own player, but can be used if you’re in a pinch, especially with Eric Bledsoe out for the Suns. Gerald Green and Channing Frye are also both hot for the Suns right now.

AFA had a nice game Saturday with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but has been pretty hit-or-miss thus far. But with Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday all hurting, chances are he will have a decent line this week.

Lee started at shooting guard and had 15 points, two steals and two blocks in 32 minutes on Sunday. With Tony Allen out with a hand injury, Lee could be a sneaky play going forward, while Mike Miller could hit a lot of threes off the bench.

The Hawks and Nets play just one game this week, while the Pistons only go twice. Try to find alternatives if you play in a weekly lineup league. Waiver Wired should be viewed as a companion piece to this column, so make sure you check it out as well.

Editor's Note: Rotoworld's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $60,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Monday night's games. It's $25 to join and first prize is $8,500. Starts at 7pm ET on Monday. Here's the FanDuel link.

Crawford came off the bench on Friday and struggled with his shot. He will likely continue to come off the pine now that J.J. Redick is back for the Clippers, however, Crawford should continue to see all the minutes he can handle while playing both guard spots, so don’t’ be afraid to leave him in your lineup.

Anderson started again for the Sixers on Saturday against the Knicks after scoring 10 points on Friday, and had 17 points in a loss to New York. He’s coming on again and is a marginal fantasy play this week with three games.

Amare hit 8-of-10 shots for 21 points and five rebounds on Saturday. He’s played in 11 straight games, and I’m fine with taking a flier on him. However, given that games-played streak, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him miss one of his four this week.

Smith was back at it on Saturday, scoring 14 points with three 3-pointers, three rebounds, six assists and a steal in 27 minutes. Maybe this will be the game that finally gets him going, as he’s been about as fun to own as Danny Green for most of the season. If he was dropped in your league think about a grab-and-stash in case he’s finally ready to play basketball instead of footsie.

Ariza broke out of his funk on Saturday night with 23 points, 14 boards, five steals and two 3-pointers for the Wiz. It’s about time. He came into that one averaging just 8.3 points in January and owners have to hope that this game got him back on track. With four games this week he now looks like a strong start in weeklies. Kevin Seraphin also came out of nowhere to go nuts in that one, but I don’t trust him any farther than I can throw him.

Khris Middleton got the start on Saturday for the Bucks, replacing Luke Ridnour, while Caron Butler didn’t even play off the bench. Perhaps Middleton is about to get hot, while Butler should be on benches this week, or dropped. Middleton had eight points and eight boards on 3-of-14 shooting, meaning he’s truly a Buck. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, finally showing us what we’ve been waiting to see. However, whether or not he can do it again anytime soon remains to be seen. I think he’s a fine spot start in daily leagues, but I don’t have the guts to throw him into a weekly lineup. And the same can be said about any Milwaukee player not named Brandon Knight.

Cart-Mart made his Bulls debut on Saturday and had 11 points and a couple 3-pointers. Jimmy Butler was out, which forced Martin into action, but Snell has been pretty disappointing thus far. I doubt Martin is worth picking up in most leagues, but might be enough to warrant dropping Snell, who failed to score in 17 minutes. Mike Dunleavy is still relevant and had 18 points and a full stat line in this one.

Tolliver, who lost his starting job to Chris Douglas-Roberts and was dropped in most leagues, decided to go nuts on Saturday with 21 points and 8-of-9 shooting. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist due back this week, forget about Tolliver.

In addition to Quincy Miller going off for the Nuggets, Evan Fournier had 18 points in 22 minutes on Saturday, hitting 7-of-8 shots. I don’t trust him, but he should at least be on your radar.

OKC’s Jackson had just two points on 1-of-8 shooting Saturday and there are concerns about his fatigue now that he’s starting in place of Russell Westbrook. He’s still a decent fantasy play and should be better on most nights, but owners should weigh options carefully given his recent struggles.

Tucker had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three 3-pointers on Saturday and just missed a double-double on Friday. He’s still not a must-own player, but can be used if you’re in a pinch, especially with Eric Bledsoe out for the Suns. Gerald Green and Channing Frye are also both hot for the Suns right now.

AFA had a nice game Saturday with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but has been pretty hit-or-miss thus far. But with Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday all hurting, chances are he will have a decent line this week.

Lee started at shooting guard and had 15 points, two steals and two blocks in 32 minutes on Sunday. With Tony Allen out with a hand injury, Lee could be a sneaky play going forward, while Mike Miller could hit a lot of threes off the bench.

Injuries

Kevin Durant – Left the arena with his left wrist in a brace on Saturday, but was able to play through it. Maybe he’s a little iffy for Tuesday, but for now, go ahead and put him in lineups and watch for an update later on Monday.

Ryan Anderson – We still don’t have a timetable for when he’ll return to action and the fact he’s dealing with a spinal cord injury is pretty scary stuff. Just keep him stashed until further notice.

Eric Bledsoe – A report surfaced on Saturday that Bledsoe had his meniscus removed from his right knee, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Instead, a piece of his meniscus was removed, which is what was reported in the Arizona Republic. Either way, he’s not going to be back in action any time soon and can be dropped by owners needing to start healthy players in daily lineup leagues. Maybe he’ll be ready to go after the All-Star break.

Gordon Hayward – He’s a game-time decision against the Nuggets on Monday night due to a hip injury.

Tyreke Evans – Evans sat out on Saturday due to his left ankle injury, which is a shame because it looked like he was about to blow up with Jrue Holiday sidelined for the next month. Austin Rivers will be worth a daily-league look on days when Evans isn’t playing, and Evans is officially questionable for tonight’s game.

Chandler Parsons – Missed Saturday’s game with his knee problem and has now missed three straight games. Consider him iffy for Monday night against the Celtics.

Wilson Chandler – Chandler sat out on Saturday due to his lingering hip injury, which started a chain of events that saw Quincy Miller get a nod in Waiver Wired. Chandler remains day-to-day for the Nuggets until further notice.

Arron Afflalo – Afflalo sat out Saturday’s game for the Magic with a right foot strain and was in a walking boot instead of a uniform. He was hoping to play on Saturday and is now officially iffy for Monday’s game. Victor Oladipo will pick up the slack in his place if Afflalo misses any more games. With four games this week, I’d probably start him in weekly leagues depending on my options.

John Henson – Henson sat out again on Saturday with his ankle injury but appears to be nearing a return. Maybe he’ll play against the Thunder on Monday night, but even if he does, I’d have a problem putting him into a weekly lineup right now.

Jimmy Butler - He missed Saturday’s Bulls game with a quad injury, leaving him a bit iffy for Monday’s game. Mike Dunleavy still looks like a solid option.

Jameer Nelson – He got an X-ray on his right index finger on Saturday, which were negative. Consider him a little iffy for Monday’s game. If Nelson’s out, E’Twaun Moore could become relevant for Orlando.

Kemba Walker – Walker suffered a left hand injury that required X-rays, but was able to finish Saturday’s game and scored 29 points for the Bobcats. Hopefully it won’t bother him this week, but owners would be wise to watch for updates throughout the day.

Manu Ginobili & Danny Green – Ginobili sat out on Sunday with a hamstring injury and I seriously doubt he plays on Monday. Danny Green left that game with a sprained left index finger and won’t even travel with the Spurs for Monday at New Orleans. That means more Marco Belinelli, who looks like nearly a must-start with these two injured.

Marc Gasol – Will go through a full practice on Monday and could be very close to a return for the Grizzlies. And that sound you hear is Ed Davis and Kosta Koufos crashing back to earth.

Tyler Hansbrough – Hansbrough was out on Saturday, which allowed Patrick Patterson to step up once again. Patterson probably should have been included in this week’s Waiver Wired after averaging 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.2 3-pointers over his last five games. He also went off for 14 points, 12 boards, three steals, a block and a 3-pointer on Saturday and has four games this week, making him worth a close look in all leagues.

Pero Antic – He missed the Hawks game on Sunday due to back spasms. Mike Scott had 15 points and three 3-pointers off the bench, while Elton Brand added eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. Consider Antic day-to-day for now.

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA for Rotoworld.com and a contributor to NBCSports.com. The 2017-18 NBA season marks (at least) his 16th year of covering fantasy hoops for Rotoworld. Follow him on Twitter - @Docktora.Email :Steve Alexander